A casino operator in the Indian state of Goa has bought an Illinois riverboat casino to serve as a temporary platform while its other floating casinos are being repaired.

On Thursday, the Times of India reported that the Casino Pride Group had welcomed the arrival of the Argosy IV riverboat casino, which was put up for sale by its owner for $8.5m earlier this year.

Before dropping anchor in Illinois, the three-deck Argosy IV (pictured) plied its gaming trade on waterways in Kansas City, Missouri and Sioux City, Iowa. In September, the boat was towed to New Orleans, where it was loaded onto a semi-submersible boat before making the trip to India.

Pride Group already operates two floating casinos in Goa, Casino Pride I and Casino Pride II, as well as the Casino Paradise in the Neo Majestic hotel in the state’s legislative capital Porvorim. The Argosy IV’s arrival in Goa’s Mandovi river sparked concern in some quarters that the state government had issued an additional floating casino license.